The Best New Tech We Saw at Mobile World Congress 2016

Already the number one phone brand in China, Xiaomi made its European debut at the Mobile World Congress. Its new flagship, the Mi5, has a 5.15-inch bezel-free display and a main camera with 4-axis optical stabilization that corrects latitudinal and longitudinal movements. The phone comes with 3GB of RAM and either 32 or 64GB of storage, and there's a fingerprint sensor built into the home button. A more premium PRO version offers a ceramic back, 128GB of storage, and 4GB of RAM.

LG's new flagship G5 comes with a lot of options: the whole lower portion of the phone can be swapped out and replaced with alternative modules. At launch there'll be two modules available: the Hi-Fi Plus (which LG created in partnership with B&O) for improved audio quality; and the Cam Plus module, which is a big case that offers a camera-style grip and hosts physical shutter button, zoom jog, and an additional 1200 mAh juice pack.

The Meizu PRO 5 runs some unique software for a mobile: Ubuntu Linux. Thanks to its 1.5GHz octa-core processor and up to 4GB of RAM, it's also the most powerful Linux phone ever built. And yet it lacks one key feature: although you could use it to run Ubuntu PC applications, the phone can't yet be plugged into an external display, so you won't be able to use it in Convergence mode.

Launched as a Kickstarter and now a real product, the Nextbit Robin ($399) relies on the cloud to store your photos and any apps you're not using but are unwilling to delete. Everything is synchronized while the phone is on Wi-Fi and plugged-in. You get 32GB on the phone, plus 100 GB online. When you're running out of storage, it frees up space by moving contents to the cloud. Photos are stored on the phone in screen resolution, and the heavier full image is saved in the cloud.

Founded in 2002, Gionee is the next Chinese brand you'll hear of. Its new S8 flagship is good looking and very thin. The 5.5-inch Amoled screen features its own 3D Touch technology that adds shortcuts to app icons, just like the iPhone 6s and a few Android phones out there. Its main assets are the cameras. The 8-megapixel front camera has a beautification mode, and the 16-megapixel main camera has impressively fast response times, laser autofocus, and a wide variety of camera and video modes.

This year's Samsung Galaxy looks very much like last year's flagship, save for the fantastic curved glass back. The Galaxy S7's new camera sensor gets a performance boost in low light (it's now f/1.7), and it also has a much faster autofocus system. The S7 also adds back in some key features from the S5 that the S6 had lost: a microSD slot and waterproofing. Happy?

The Galaxy S7 Edge is distinguished from its Samsung sibling by the little strip of a display that runs down the curved side of its main 5.5-inch screen. There's some new stuff you can put on that screen too: you can still link up to 10 favorite contacts and apps, but it's now possible to access specific functions, like view browser bookmarks, create a new calendar event, or go straight to a single chat.

One of the smartphone accessories I want the most is a portable projector: small enough to carry anywhere, bright enough to enjoy a movie on the wall. What's better? A phone with a built-in projector to beam video straight from the source. Projectors embedded into tablets and desktop computers are now common, but it's been a while since anybody put one in a smartphone. In Barcelona, Akyumen presented a whole range of products with embedded projectors: the 10-inch Falcon tablet and the 7-inch Holophone phablet with Windows 10, and the 5.5-inch Hawk Android smartphone. Just push the dedicated button to beam an image of up to 100 inches at 40 Lumens.

Amongst the accessories spotted at the last Mobile World Congress, this funny interactive toy was a huge hit. The little BQ Zowi bot can already dance, walk, and dodge obstacles straight out of the box. It responds to touch and sounds, too. Connect it to any smartphone via Bluetooth, and you can program new movements and facial expressions. Hack it through the micro-USB port placed on the back using BQ's Bitbloq software. You can even disassemble and customize the bot with 3-D printed parts. It's a great way for both kids and grown-ups to approach robotics.

Construction equipment manufacturer Cat has a line of rugged phones built to resist pretty much everything from oil to water to accidental tumbles. People who work in construction sites and quarries love these things. And guess what tool can also be useful in those places? A thermal camera. Now Cat has partnered with FLIR to embed its thermal imaging technology in a new flagship phone, the S60. Use it to detect heat loss around windows and doors, or just take some cool Predator-inspired photos.

LG's first VR viewing push is a sturdier and nicer version of Cardboard, and in fact it can be used to browse everything made for Google's headset. This device still needs an LG smartphone to work, but it won't require you to tuck it into the display itself. You'll only need to connect it using a USB-C cable. The benefit of not having a phone on your nose: the LG 360 VR headset is lighter than the others, weighing just around 3.5 ounces. The downside? It's so small, it can't shield all the light leaking in from outside, making the experience less immersive than the others.

LG's crazy home robot is more than a toy, not quite just another security camera, and definitely also a remote. Connect the Rolling Bot to your LG G5 to stream a video feed to your phone's screen while using the handset to drive the ball around. The Bot can take pictures or record videos, and you can freak out your guests by holding conversations through the built-in microphone and speaker. An infrared sensor and beamer on the Bot controls things like TVs, HVAC units, audio players, and other IR-remote devices. There's even a laser pointer to annoy the cat.

The latest (yep!) connected toothbrush has a built-in accelerometer and gyroscope, and it uses the smartphone to help you brush your teeth better. It's called the Oral-B Genius. Stick your phone to the bathroom mirror (it comes with a suction mount) and line your face with the front-facing camera. Oral-B's app merges data from the camera and the brush to track the position and movement of the toothbrush. It then highlights the zones where you've spent an inadequate amount of time. An API and SDK will allow developers to build a real ecosystem of connected apps.

Video monitoring made mobile: Panasonic's Nubo security camera boasts not only Wi-Fi connectivity, but also 4G to offer surveillance wherever it's needed. It's weatherproof, so it can even be left outdoors, and since there's no internal battery, it just needs to plug it into a power source. Nubo has a speaker and microphone for two-way audio communication and a microSD slot to store images and videos. The service plan is a freemium model. Upgrading gets you remote streaming, better video quality, and more cloud storage.

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The Best New Tech We Saw at Mobile World Congress 2016

Already the number one phone brand in China, Xiaomi made its European debut at the Mobile World Congress. Its new flagship, the Mi5, has a 5.15-inch bezel-free display and a main camera with 4-axis optical stabilization that corrects latitudinal and longitudinal movements. The phone comes with 3GB of RAM and either 32 or 64GB of storage, and there's a fingerprint sensor built into the home button. A more premium PRO version offers a ceramic back, 128GB of storage, and 4GB of RAM.

LG's new flagship G5 comes with a lot of options: the whole lower portion of the phone can be swapped out and replaced with alternative modules. At launch there'll be two modules available: the Hi-Fi Plus (which LG created in partnership with B&O) for improved audio quality; and the Cam Plus module, which is a big case that offers a camera-style grip and hosts physical shutter button, zoom jog, and an additional 1200 mAh juice pack.

The Meizu PRO 5 runs some unique software for a mobile: Ubuntu Linux. Thanks to its 1.5GHz octa-core processor and up to 4GB of RAM, it's also the most powerful Linux phone ever built. And yet it lacks one key feature: although you could use it to run Ubuntu PC applications, the phone can't yet be plugged into an external display, so you won't be able to use it in Convergence mode.

Launched as a Kickstarter and now a real product, the Nextbit Robin ($399) relies on the cloud to store your photos and any apps you're not using but are unwilling to delete. Everything is synchronized while the phone is on Wi-Fi and plugged-in. You get 32GB on the phone, plus 100 GB online. When you're running out of storage, it frees up space by moving contents to the cloud. Photos are stored on the phone in screen resolution, and the heavier full image is saved in the cloud.

Founded in 2002, Gionee is the next Chinese brand you'll hear of. Its new S8 flagship is good looking and very thin. The 5.5-inch Amoled screen features its own 3D Touch technology that adds shortcuts to app icons, just like the iPhone 6s and a few Android phones out there. Its main assets are the cameras. The 8-megapixel front camera has a beautification mode, and the 16-megapixel main camera has impressively fast response times, laser autofocus, and a wide variety of camera and video modes.

This year's Samsung Galaxy looks very much like last year's flagship, save for the fantastic curved glass back. The Galaxy S7's new camera sensor gets a performance boost in low light (it's now f/1.7), and it also has a much faster autofocus system. The S7 also adds back in some key features from the S5 that the S6 had lost: a microSD slot and waterproofing. Happy?

The Galaxy S7 Edge is distinguished from its Samsung sibling by the little strip of a display that runs down the curved side of its main 5.5-inch screen. There's some new stuff you can put on that screen too: you can still link up to 10 favorite contacts and apps, but it's now possible to access specific functions, like view browser bookmarks, create a new calendar event, or go straight to a single chat.

One of the smartphone accessories I want the most is a portable projector: small enough to carry anywhere, bright enough to enjoy a movie on the wall. What's better? A phone with a built-in projector to beam video straight from the source. Projectors embedded into tablets and desktop computers are now common, but it's been a while since anybody put one in a smartphone. In Barcelona, Akyumen presented a whole range of products with embedded projectors: the 10-inch Falcon tablet and the 7-inch Holophone phablet with Windows 10, and the 5.5-inch Hawk Android smartphone. Just push the dedicated button to beam an image of up to 100 inches at 40 Lumens.

Amongst the accessories spotted at the last Mobile World Congress, this funny interactive toy was a huge hit. The little BQ Zowi bot can already dance, walk, and dodge obstacles straight out of the box. It responds to touch and sounds, too. Connect it to any smartphone via Bluetooth, and you can program new movements and facial expressions. Hack it through the micro-USB port placed on the back using BQ's Bitbloq software. You can even disassemble and customize the bot with 3-D printed parts. It's a great way for both kids and grown-ups to approach robotics.

Construction equipment manufacturer Cat has a line of rugged phones built to resist pretty much everything from oil to water to accidental tumbles. People who work in construction sites and quarries love these things. And guess what tool can also be useful in those places? A thermal camera. Now Cat has partnered with FLIR to embed its thermal imaging technology in a new flagship phone, the S60. Use it to detect heat loss around windows and doors, or just take some cool Predator-inspired photos.

LG's first VR viewing push is a sturdier and nicer version of Cardboard, and in fact it can be used to browse everything made for Google's headset. This device still needs an LG smartphone to work, but it won't require you to tuck it into the display itself. You'll only need to connect it using a USB-C cable. The benefit of not having a phone on your nose: the LG 360 VR headset is lighter than the others, weighing just around 3.5 ounces. The downside? It's so small, it can't shield all the light leaking in from outside, making the experience less immersive than the others.

LG's crazy home robot is more than a toy, not quite just another security camera, and definitely also a remote. Connect the Rolling Bot to your LG G5 to stream a video feed to your phone's screen while using the handset to drive the ball around. The Bot can take pictures or record videos, and you can freak out your guests by holding conversations through the built-in microphone and speaker. An infrared sensor and beamer on the Bot controls things like TVs, HVAC units, audio players, and other IR-remote devices. There's even a laser pointer to annoy the cat.

The latest (yep!) connected toothbrush has a built-in accelerometer and gyroscope, and it uses the smartphone to help you brush your teeth better. It's called the Oral-B Genius. Stick your phone to the bathroom mirror (it comes with a suction mount) and line your face with the front-facing camera. Oral-B's app merges data from the camera and the brush to track the position and movement of the toothbrush. It then highlights the zones where you've spent an inadequate amount of time. An API and SDK will allow developers to build a real ecosystem of connected apps.

Video monitoring made mobile: Panasonic's Nubo security camera boasts not only Wi-Fi connectivity, but also 4G to offer surveillance wherever it's needed. It's weatherproof, so it can even be left outdoors, and since there's no internal battery, it just needs to plug it into a power source. Nubo has a speaker and microphone for two-way audio communication and a microSD slot to store images and videos. The service plan is a freemium model. Upgrading gets you remote streaming, better video quality, and more cloud storage.

BARCELONA, SPAIN—There's been real excitement in the air here at the Mobile World Congress as the industry gathers to debut the phones that will flood the market over the next few months. This year, the phone-makers have had to make room on the show floor for newcomers—Internet service companies, autonomous cars, tons of startups—but it's still the mobile tech manufacturers who have managed to stay in the spotlight.

Thanks to increasingly advanced chipsets, most smartphones are powerful enough to do just about anything, and a fast chipset isn't as big of a differentiating feature anymore. Instead of raw power, manufacturers have focused on new configuration ideas, unique software, gorgeous materials, and radical designs to catch the eye of customers. Here's a selection of the new tech, VR cameras, and of course, the flagship mobile handsets that stood out.